Deal gets three new names for Supreme Court vacancy

The state’s Judicial Nominating Commission has submitted three new candidates to Gov. Nathan Deal to fill a vacancy on the state’s highest court.

The nominees are House Majority Whip Christian Coomer, R-Cartersville, and Appeals Court judges Charlie Bethel and Sara Doyle. They bring to 10 the number of people Deal could choose from to replace Harris Hines, who recently retired from the Georgia Supreme Court.

Deal chose Warren from a list of nine names submitted by his nominating panel. The governor could have simply picked Hines’ successor from the remaining names, but Deal instead asked the panel to send him more candidates.